Reaching Within – to Rouse the Without. “Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.” – Erich Fromm “The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.” – Alan Alda
My action research investigates how creativity and innovation in teachers can influence school culture. How can I create a more reflective and innovative school culture?
A problem found in many schools for decades is the isolation of teachers by time and space. There is very little time built into the school day or year for common planning, idea sharing, or communication. My school is no different. The physical structure of the building is wide with multiple levels. Many teachers go weeks without seeing each other.
Teachers can also be isolated by a school’s culture. A teacher with new or different ideas can feel isolated when those ideas are not accepted. My school is such a school. Others who do not want change often quickly dismiss new ideas at my school, so much so that many teachers have stopped trying.
Even so, there are many good things going on in my school. These good teaching practices are like bubbles throughout the school. They are not connected. There is no sharing or interaction that is needed to form a true community of practice and see growth in teacher’s skill as an artist.
It is my goal to begin to change the culture of my school by utilizing a new form of communication, blogs. By inspiring several teachers to blog I hope to accomplish several things. I hope that those who are blogging will see this activity as a tool to reflect and grow as an individual. I hope that those who join the blogging community will interact with each other online, learning and growing with each other. I also hope that this activity will spread beyond the Internet, or cyberspace, and inspire others in the building to become a part of this community.
Which is my ultimate goal, to create a community of teachers who are focused on teaching as a craft, as an art form. Teachers who see that teaching requires much skill and talent that comes from years of practice, reflection, and personal growth. Teachers who want to learn from each other and support each other.
At my school I teach computers and technology for fifth and sixth grade students. I have strong connections with the regular education fifth grade staff having taught with them as a regular education classroom teacher for three years. I have a weaker connection with the rest of the sixth through eighth grade staff. I am known in the building for helping peers with technology and for leading on committees. I am currently hosting quarterly discussions about using Moodle in the classroom and helping teachers new to Moodle become acquainted with it.
Action Research Cycle One Blogged^2 (blogged squared)
When a number greater than one is repeatedly square, its’ value grows exponentially. Can the same be true about creativity and innovation when teachers commit to connecting online through blogging about their experiences in a classroom? Can a distributed community of practice be created if teachers commit to blogging and reading each other’s blogs during four weeks? Can this community foster creativity and innovation in its’ teachers? Can it change the culture of a school?
Research has shown that teachers must become the agents of change in schools. Change comes when ideas are shared. Creativity happens when there is time to reflect. Reflecting and sharing must become a part of a teacher’s practice in order for change to happen within a school.
To find out, I will train and facilitate a group of teachers, no more than 10, to start and use a blog on edublogs.com. I will be asking the teachers to discuss and share their teaching practice by reflecting about their process on their blogs. They will be encouraged to make comments on each other’s blogs.
I will create a Wikispace resource page with links to their blogs, blogging tips, as well as links to other educational blogs. This resource can be found here: http://bloggedsquared.wikispaces.com/
Throughout the four weeks I will collect data on how often teachers post on their blogs and how often comments are made on their posts by peer teachers. I will be keeping a log of comments made by teachers that reflect creativity and innovation in their process. The blogs themselves will serve as artifacts. I will be reflecting about this cycle on my Action Research Journal Blog.
Evaluation will consists of a survey completed by participants before and after the time period (see attached) and my reflection on the blog posts made by the involved teachers. I will be reflecting on any creativity, growth, and community I find evidence for in the posts and comments of the teachers. I will be looking for examples of:
one teacher’s posts influencing another’s actions.
changes in opinion.
new ideas shared as a result postings or comments.
shared ideas impacting process or practice in the classroom.
Review of Literature.
When thinking about changing the culture of a school it is easy to become frustrated. At first it seems that teachers have little reason to change. “Unless teachers understand and appreciate change the need for change in their schools, their interest in maintaining the status quo will undoubtedly take precedence over their willingness to accept change (Greenberg & Baron, 2000, as quoted by Zimmerman, 2006, p 239). Recent efforts to institute mega change in schools by the federal government through such legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has changed the landscape of American education. However, “Policy makers increasingly realize that regulations cannot transform schools; only teachers, in collaboration with parents and administrators, can do that.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996, pg 5) So while NCLB has changed goals and curriculum, the true practice of teaching has not changed. True change must come from within the school itself and from the actions and motivations of the community the school serves and is served by.
As teachers instruct their classes day by day they are creating a unique learning environment and experiences for their kids. This creativity has always been the force behind success in learning, but has been little recognized by administrators or the public. “As recently as 10 years ago, the idea that teacher knowledge was critical for education improvement had little currency. Continuing a tradition begun at the turn of the 20th century, policy makers searched for the right set of test prescriptions, textbook adoptions, and curriculum directives to be packaged and mandated to guide practice.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996, p 5) Students truly learn when teachers have the knowledge and skills that allow them to be creative when meeting the needs of the learners in their classrooms. This creativity can come when teachers consider themselves learners. Michael Fullan in “Change the Terms for Teacher Learning” discusses creating a personalized learning environment where teachers understand and address “the individual needs of each student” and become precise in meeting these learning needs. Fullan states that this “cannot possibly occur unless every teacher is deeply immersed daily in learning how to do this, all the while adapting to the dynamic learning needs of students, all the while getting better at meeting those needs.” (Fullan, 2007, p 36) This description is similar to how an artisan practices his craft, always reflecting and evaluating as the work is completed. The question then become how do you create a school culture where teachers are focused on growing and learning as creative artisans of the craft of learning?
A review of the literature points towards two main ideas in fostering change, Communities of Practice, sometimes referred to as Professional Learning Communities, and communication. “Careful reflection about standards of practice stimulates an ongoing learning process.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996) Careful reflection can only come with time and with feedback from peers. Linda Lambert in Lasting Leadership discusses the changes that can occur when schools open themselves up to conversations about student performance and questions of practice. (Lambert, 2006) This type of reflection and peer collaboration can come in communities of practice. Frank Smith states that we are “learning all the time” (Smith, 1998, p 31) and that “You learn in communities that do what you are expected to learn. (p 44) Furthermore, Zimmerman argues that “These opportunities for professional interaction pay dividends when teachers are able to obtain assistance and feedback from their colleagues” (Short and Greer, 2002, as quoted by Zimmerman, 2006, p 245)
Expectations on teachers have increased drastically in the last few years, yet little has changed in how teachers approach their craft on a daily basis. The culture of a school must change from one that promotes isolation and competition between teachers to one of collaboration, reflection, and creativity. When this happens we will see learning improve. “Through networking, strength and hope in their own conversations, and district assistance, the schools achieved students and adult performance of which they could be proud.” (Lambert, 2006, p 238)
References
Darling-Hammond, L. (1996, March). The Quiet Revolution: Rethingking Teacher Development. Educational ELadership , pp. 4-10. Retrieved November 7, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Fullan, M. (2007, Summer). Change the Terms for Teacher Learning. National Staff Development Council , pp. 35-36. Retrieved October 21st, 2008, from http://www.michaelfullan.ca/articles_2007.htm
Lambert, L. (2006, Spring). Lasting Leadership: A Study of High Leadership Capacity Schools [Electronic Version]. The Educational Forum , pp. 238-254. Retrieved Oct. 20th, 2008 From Wilson Web. WN 0610503464013
Smith, F. (1998). The Book of Learning and Forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press.
Zimmerman, J. (2006, September). Why Some Teachers Resist Change and What Principals Can Do About It. NASSP Bulletin , 90(3), 238-249. Retrieved November 20, 2008, doi:10.1177/0192636506291521
Blogged^ 2 (blogged squared) Pre-experience survey. Please circle the answer that best describes your experience.
How often do other teachers influence how you teach? § Daily § Weekly § Three to four times a month. § Rarely
How often do discussions with other teachers spark new ideas you use in your classroom? § Daily § Weekly § Three to four times a month. § Rarely
Do you have enough time to talk and share with your colleagues?
§ Yes § No
Blogged^ 2 (blogged squared) Post-experience survey. Please circle the answer that best describes your experience.
How often do other teachers influence how you teach? § Daily § Weekly § Three to four times a month. § Rarely
How often do discussions with other teachers spark new ideas you use in your classroom?
§ Daily § Weekly § Three to four times a month. § Rarely
Do you have enough time to talk and share with your colleagues?
Reaching Within –
to Rouse the Without.
“Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.”
– Erich Fromm
“The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover is yourself.”
– Alan Alda
My action research investigates how creativity and innovation in teachers can influence school culture. How can I create a more reflective and innovative school culture?
A problem found in many schools for decades is the isolation of teachers by time and space. There is very little time built into the school day or year for common planning, idea sharing, or communication. My school is no different. The physical structure of the building is wide with multiple levels. Many teachers go weeks without seeing each other.
Teachers can also be isolated by a school’s culture. A teacher with new or different ideas can feel isolated when those ideas are not accepted. My school is such a school. Others who do not want change often quickly dismiss new ideas at my school, so much so that many teachers have stopped trying.
Even so, there are many good things going on in my school. These good teaching practices are like bubbles throughout the school. They are not connected. There is no sharing or interaction that is needed to form a true community of practice and see growth in teacher’s skill as an artist.
It is my goal to begin to change the culture of my school by utilizing a new form of communication, blogs. By inspiring several teachers to blog I hope to accomplish several things. I hope that those who are blogging will see this activity as a tool to reflect and grow as an individual. I hope that those who join the blogging community will interact with each other online, learning and growing with each other. I also hope that this activity will spread beyond the Internet, or cyberspace, and inspire others in the building to become a part of this community.
Which is my ultimate goal, to create a community of teachers who are focused on teaching as a craft, as an art form. Teachers who see that teaching requires much skill and talent that comes from years of practice, reflection, and personal growth. Teachers who want to learn from each other and support each other.
At my school I teach computers and technology for fifth and sixth grade students. I have strong connections with the regular education fifth grade staff having taught with them as a regular education classroom teacher for three years. I have a weaker connection with the rest of the sixth through eighth grade staff. I am known in the building for helping peers with technology and for leading on committees. I am currently hosting quarterly discussions about using Moodle in the classroom and helping teachers new to Moodle become acquainted with it.
Action Research Cycle One
Blogged^2 (blogged squared)
When a number greater than one is repeatedly square, its’ value grows exponentially. Can the same be true about creativity and innovation when teachers commit to connecting online through blogging about their experiences in a classroom? Can a distributed community of practice be created if teachers commit to blogging and reading each other’s blogs during four weeks? Can this community foster creativity and innovation in its’ teachers? Can it change the culture of a school?
Research has shown that teachers must become the agents of change in schools. Change comes when ideas are shared. Creativity happens when there is time to reflect. Reflecting and sharing must become a part of a teacher’s practice in order for change to happen within a school.
To find out, I will train and facilitate a group of teachers, no more than 10, to start and use a blog on edublogs.com. I will be asking the teachers to discuss and share their teaching practice by reflecting about their process on their blogs. They will be encouraged to make comments on each other’s blogs.
I will create a Wikispace resource page with links to their blogs, blogging tips, as well as links to other educational blogs. This resource can be found here: http://bloggedsquared.wikispaces.com/
Throughout the four weeks I will collect data on how often teachers post on their blogs and how often comments are made on their posts by peer teachers. I will be keeping a log of comments made by teachers that reflect creativity and innovation in their process. The blogs themselves will serve as artifacts. I will be reflecting about this cycle on my Action Research Journal Blog.
Evaluation will consists of a survey completed by participants before and after the time period (see attached) and my reflection on the blog posts made by the involved teachers. I will be reflecting on any creativity, growth, and community I find evidence for in the posts and comments of the teachers. I will be looking for examples of:
Review of Literature.
When thinking about changing the culture of a school it is easy to become frustrated. At first it seems that teachers have little reason to change. “Unless teachers understand and appreciate change the need for change in their schools, their interest in maintaining the status quo will undoubtedly take precedence over their willingness to accept change (Greenberg & Baron, 2000, as quoted by Zimmerman, 2006, p 239). Recent efforts to institute mega change in schools by the federal government through such legislation such as No Child Left Behind (NCLB) has changed the landscape of American education. However, “Policy makers increasingly realize that regulations cannot transform schools; only teachers, in collaboration with parents and administrators, can do that.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996, pg 5) So while NCLB has changed goals and curriculum, the true practice of teaching has not changed. True change must come from within the school itself and from the actions and motivations of the community the school serves and is served by.
As teachers instruct their classes day by day they are creating a unique learning environment and experiences for their kids. This creativity has always been the force behind success in learning, but has been little recognized by administrators or the public. “As recently as 10 years ago, the idea that teacher knowledge was critical for education improvement had little currency. Continuing a tradition begun at the turn of the 20th century, policy makers searched for the right set of test prescriptions, textbook adoptions, and curriculum directives to be packaged and mandated to guide practice.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996, p 5) Students truly learn when teachers have the knowledge and skills that allow them to be creative when meeting the needs of the learners in their classrooms. This creativity can come when teachers consider themselves learners. Michael Fullan in “Change the Terms for Teacher Learning” discusses creating a personalized learning environment where teachers understand and address “the individual needs of each student” and become precise in meeting these learning needs. Fullan states that this “cannot possibly occur unless every teacher is deeply immersed daily in learning how to do this, all the while adapting to the dynamic learning needs of students, all the while getting better at meeting those needs.” (Fullan, 2007, p 36) This description is similar to how an artisan practices his craft, always reflecting and evaluating as the work is completed. The question then become how do you create a school culture where teachers are focused on growing and learning as creative artisans of the craft of learning?
A review of the literature points towards two main ideas in fostering change, Communities of Practice, sometimes referred to as Professional Learning Communities, and communication. “Careful reflection about standards of practice stimulates an ongoing learning process.” (Darling-Hammond, 1996) Careful reflection can only come with time and with feedback from peers. Linda Lambert in Lasting Leadership discusses the changes that can occur when schools open themselves up to conversations about student performance and questions of practice. (Lambert, 2006) This type of reflection and peer collaboration can come in communities of practice. Frank Smith states that we are “learning all the time” (Smith, 1998, p 31) and that “You learn in communities that do what you are expected to learn. (p 44) Furthermore, Zimmerman argues that “These opportunities for professional interaction pay dividends when teachers are able to obtain assistance and feedback from their colleagues” (Short and Greer, 2002, as quoted by Zimmerman, 2006, p 245)
Expectations on teachers have increased drastically in the last few years, yet little has changed in how teachers approach their craft on a daily basis. The culture of a school must change from one that promotes isolation and competition between teachers to one of collaboration, reflection, and creativity. When this happens we will see learning improve. “Through networking, strength and hope in their own conversations, and district assistance, the schools achieved students and adult performance of which they could be proud.” (Lambert, 2006, p 238)
References
Darling-Hammond, L. (1996, March). The Quiet Revolution: Rethingking Teacher Development. Educational ELadership , pp. 4-10. Retrieved November 7, 2008, from Academic Search Elite database.
Fullan, M. (2007, Summer). Change the Terms for Teacher Learning. National Staff Development Council , pp. 35-36. Retrieved October 21st, 2008, from http://www.michaelfullan.ca/articles_2007.htm
Lambert, L. (2006, Spring). Lasting Leadership: A Study of High Leadership Capacity Schools [Electronic Version]. The Educational Forum , pp. 238-254. Retrieved Oct. 20th, 2008 From Wilson Web. WN 0610503464013
Smith, F. (1998). The Book of Learning and Forgetting. New York: Teachers College Press.
Zimmerman, J. (2006, September). Why Some Teachers Resist Change and What Principals Can Do About It. NASSP Bulletin , 90(3), 238-249. Retrieved November 20, 2008, doi:10.1177/0192636506291521
Blogged^ 2 (blogged squared)
Pre-experience survey.
Please circle the answer that best describes your experience.
How often do other teachers influence how you teach?
§ Daily
§ Weekly
§ Three to four times a month.
§ Rarely
How often do discussions with other teachers spark new ideas you use in your classroom?
§ Daily
§ Weekly
§ Three to four times a month.
§ Rarely
Do you have enough time to talk and share with your colleagues?
§ Yes
§ No
Blogged^ 2 (blogged squared)
Post-experience survey.
Please circle the answer that best describes your experience.
How often do other teachers influence how you teach?
§ Daily
§ Weekly
§ Three to four times a month.
§ Rarely
How often do discussions with other teachers spark new ideas you use in your classroom?
§ Daily
§ Weekly
§ Three to four times a month.
§ Rarely
Do you have enough time to talk and share with your colleagues?
§ Yes
§ No